deviantART: gallery:shoomlah/411698

Steamcon V Artists' Alley!

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:40:19 PDT

(Okay, definitely a bit late on the Artists' Alley front this year- but WHO AM I to announce that applications are open without a fancy little thematically-appropriate poster? Gotta stick to my guns.)

Steamcon® V - October 25-27 - Seattle, WA

Steamcon® is going into its third year of Artists' Alley, a place for Steampunk craftspersons to promote their hand-crafted and Steampunk-relevant wares! We know that it can be difficult for smaller-scale artisans to afford or procure a full-blown vendor's table at conventions, so this is a chance for the less mass-produced artists to get their work out there.

Steamcon® will receive Artists’ Alley applications for review until June 1st, at which point we will begin evaluating & accepting exhibitors until the Artists’ Alley is full. All applicants will be juried, and consideration will be based on applicability of wares, date of receipt and diversity of merchandise available in the Artists’ Alley.

It's worth noting, for example, that we see a lot of jewelry artisans who work with assembled gears and clock parts. If you'd like to stand out from the crowd of other applicants, your best bet would be to make something that is uniquely yours.

Also note that participation in previous Artists' Alleys does not guarantee that you will be afforded a space this year. We receive a lot of applications at once, and we want to make sure that the Alley is juried for quality and relevance.

If you wish to participate, please read and fill out the application HERE, and send us photos of your wares by e-mailing them to us at artistsalley@steamcon.org.

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to shoot me a note at artists_alley@steamcon.org. We hope to see you in October!

Claire Hummel
Steamcon® V Artists' Alley coordinator

One grander by far

Mon, 13 May 2013 14:03:00 PDT

God I love dagged sleeves. Almost as much as I love slashed ones. I just want to dag and slash everything I can get my hands on.

I've wanted Maleficent to be the first villain in the series for a while now, ever since I made the mental leap between Maleficent's horns and 15th century horned hennins. The time period works out pretty well, actually, since I wanted her to look a little more dated than Aurora's 1480's getup- both houppelandes and horned hennins were all the rage during the early- to mid-1400's, and they make for pretty good analogues to her official costuming. Sexy stuff.

This proves more than any of the previous pieces that these are adaptations, not improvements. I mean, look at the original Maleficent design- how does one improve on PERFECTION

-C
(Photoshop CS5/6)

See the rest of the series HERE

Read the FAQ HERE

Buy prints HERE

Deep Trouble

Mon, 06 May 2013 16:35:56 PDT

My piece for LTD Art Gallery's Tentacles show that opened this weekend! If you're in the area, it's definitely worth scoping it out while it's still up.

I haven't done pyrography/wood burning in any substantial capacity since high school, but I wanted to get away from digital for a bit since I so rarely get to sell originals at shows- this was my compromise where I didn't have to worry about finding all my paints. I've also had the idea of a nautilus-shaped helmet for something like eight years now, so I'm finally MAKING THAT HAPPEN in a real way

-C

Bioshock: Infinite - the Lutece twins

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 10:54:42 PDT

My pride and joy, the Lutece twins! After finishing up my work for Elizabeth, Irrational hit me up to take a pass at these lovable rapscallions, the scientific minds behind the technology of Columbia. They play a surprisingly huge role in the game, so I've been really flattered to see how many fans they've accumulated over the past couple of months. Granted, let's be honest, most of that is probably because of the amazing writing in the game, but I'LL TAKE WHAT I CAN GET.

I hope everyone realizes that these two are meant to look like they just walked straight out of Leyendecker illustrations,

-C

More of my work for Bioshock: Infinite:

Bioshock: Infinite - Young Liz final concept

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 10:49:57 PDT

...Aaaand here's the final 2D design for young Liz in Bioshock: Infinite. A couple of changes were made for the final model- fewer buckles on the skirt, shirt cuffs from an early concept, etc- but the rest of it was pretty spot-on. Really fun to see this running around in-game.

More of my work for Bioshock: Infinite:

-C

Bioshock Infinite - Young Liz costume development

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 10:47:50 PDT

Sooo now that Bioshock: Infinite is out, I can finally share some of the visual development I did for the game! I just finished my first playthrough last night, so I'm pretty chuffed.

Figured I'd lead with my dress design process for young Liz, since her alternate outfit has been getting a lot of coverage (no pun intended) over the past couple of months. Irrational wanted a 1912 period- and age-appropriate look, so that’s what I was aiming for; there are a lot of iterations, but I'm really happy with how the final model turned out in-game.

More of my work for Bioshock: Infinite:

-C

(Also, temendous thanks to Jorge Lacera and the team at Irrational for briefly welcoming me into the fold- as a huge fan of the franchise I was blown away when they hit me up to do some concept work, and it was an absolute pleasure to contribute in even the tiniest way to what is looking to be an amazing game.)

Golly, what a day

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 12:19:51 PDT

Yup, this was an April Fool's joke, just to answer all the inquiries.

A lot of people have been asking about Maid Marian, so I figured I might as well give her a shot- a bit tougher when you’re looking at clothing on anthropomorphic animals, of course, but there are still a couple of details that point to the 15^th century- the cut of the dress, the ears disguised as a horned hennin headdress, the bag sleeves, etc. I still tried to maintain the relatively simple silhouette of Marian’s dress, just with added period details- making it more of a houppelande by design, and resolving the v-shaped neckline to show the kirtle underneath.

Also really wanted to hide some foxglove motifs in the lining of the gown- it’s subtle, but I think it really ties the whole design together.

See the rest of the series HERE

Read the FAQ HERE

Buy prints HERE

Bravest Warriors #09 cover (variant)

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 17:25:01 PDT

My variant cover for Bravest Warriors #09 was just announced! Was given pretty much free reign to do what I wanted, and this was the thumbnail that the editor liked the most- can't go wrong with bathing suits and sea monsters.

-C
(Photoshop CS5)

Redux Redux'd

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 17:48:09 PST

Not sure if anyone remembers my chainsaw angel barbarian from forever ago, but I got an itch to paint her again just to see how I'd handle it differently now. The answer is MORE HIPS MORE THIGHS ALL THE TIME

-C

1923

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 16:03:16 PST

1923

My piece for the upcoming Message in a Bottle exhibit at the Light Grey Art Lab, opening January 25th in Minneapolis! Looks like it's going to be a killer show. I would talk about the piece some more, but the whole point of this show is SECRETS on top of SECRETS

-C

(You can buy prints and check out the other amazing artists HERE)

I look once more

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 18:29:39 PST

Finally updated Pocahontas! I don't think this is what people were expecting as the next entry in the series, but some of the criticisms of my first design have been eating away at me for years now and I needed to get off my ass and address them.

So hey! Spunky age-appropriate Pocahontas/Matoaka, sans feathers in the hair/European imagery/other superfluous details. This is closer to accounts and illustrations of Powhatan dress from the period, and I kinda think it's closer to the Disney design anyway. WIN/WIN.

Thanks to everyone who's educated my ass over the past couple of years, including moniquill, apihtawikosisan, this-is-not-native, and numerous others. You've made me a way more thoughtful artist in the process.

-C

See the rest of the series here: [link]
Read the FAQ here: [link]
Buy prints here: [link]

Republic City Evening Post

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 18:12:28 PST

My piece for Pixel Drip's I'm the Avatar, Deal With It! art show coming up later this spring. Preeeeetty self-explanatory.

-Claire, who is never one to pass up the opportunity to draw muscled lady-arms

Hatshepsut

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 16:38:36 PST

SO GLAD I finally get to post this, hot damn!

This is my piece for the upcoming GIRLS: Fact + Fiction show, opening December 7th at the Light Grey Art Lab gallery space in Minneapolis, MN. We were invited to draw any fictional or factual lady of our choice, so I went with Hatshepsut because, well, shes Hatshepsut. If I am to believe all of those ancient statues of her, she looks damn fine in a pair of aviators.

Im not going to be able to make the opening myself, but you can check out the invite for the show over on facebook if youre so inclined and/or local.

PRINTS AND ART BOOK
Also worth mentioning is that the people behind Light Grey Art Lab have already set up an online store for the show! You can pick up prints of all the art, along with a limited edition art book collecting all of the pieces in the show with short blurbs about each of the featured ladies.

You can pick up a print of my piece HERE, and grab the art book HERE. Go forth and look at all the pretty art!

-C

Dr. Sgt. Clarabelle Pepper

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:18:28 PST

Everyone on Tumblr is designing Sugar Rush versions of themselves, and Wreck-It Ralph was adorable, so I'm jumping on the proverbial bandwagon with a soda-themed bandleader ensemble. I kinda wear this stuff anyway, let's be honest, so it isn't much of a stretch.

-C

La Mode du Vampire

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 01:30:59 PDT

Second in my series of of monster-inspired 19th century fashion plates. The Vampire is a little more on the nose design-wise than The Werewolf, but I'm not complaining.

-C

(Seems worth mentioning that I'll have art and prints in the Steamcon IV Art Exhibition this year, along with being on a number of panels about art, games, mummies, all that good stuff. Hope to see some of you there!)

La Mode du Loup-Garou

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 01:28:22 PDT

I've been playing around with the idea of monster-inspired 19th century fashion as of late, so I thought I'd tighten up a few of the concepts and finish them up as fashion plates; I wanted to kick out some new pieces for Steamcon anyway, so the timing is perfect.

The werewolf was the first design I came up with- kinda subtle, but I tried to integrate a lot of iconography into the costume to kinda drive it home. Also! Fur. Lots of fur.

(Also see: The Vampire)

-C

(Seems worth mentioning that I'll have art and prints in the Steamcon IV Art Exhibition this year, along with being on a number of panels about art, games, mummies, all that good stuff. Hope to see some of you there!)

FluevogCreative - Boots and a Boston

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:38:58 PDT

Finally had enough free time to kick out an entry for the FluevogCreative contest- what can I say, I really like the idea of having a subset of money that I have to spend entirely on shoes. Exciting!

No idea if thisll make it into the final round for voting, but you should head on over and like it if you have the chance.

I will love you forever and wear shoes in your honor,
-C

Project Rooftop: Fantastic Four

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 16:19:56 PDT

Finally sucked it up and submitted my entry to Project Rooftop's Fantastic Four redesign contest! I love superhero teams, especially ones who spend a lot of their time sciencing, so this was fun.

I decided to go with a midcentury-inspired/sci-fi look for their uniforms- not the most drastic change, of course, but I wanted something sleek that played around with the 4 iconography a bit more than usual. I Also took the bodysuit-as-wearable-computer concept a bit more literally with the optional retinal HUD, and made Ben a bit of a beefcake. Because why the hell not

-C
(Photoshop CS5)

A Stacked Deck

Mon, 21 May 2012 14:35:52 PDT

My Fistful of Paintballs piece for the PixelDrip gallery's Community-themed art show, Six Seasons and a Movie! So many things I want to change about this, but I'm gonna shut up and be happy about it. Go check out the opening next month if you can:

Six Seasons and a Movie art show
June 23-24 | Monk Space gallery
4414 West 2nd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90004

On They Came

Thu, 10 May 2012 11:31:17 PDT

A portrait of Nat Love/Deadwood Dick for Tiki Machine's upcoming Western-themed art book, which should be debuting at San Diego Comic-Con this year.

Nat was a knockout black cowboy with a pretty impressive autobiography and, not being one to give up any chance to draw bison, I decided to draw from the chapter in his book about a Buffalo stampede:

"A Buffalo Stampede--On They Came, a Maddened, Plunging Snorting, Bellowing Mass of Horns and Hoofs."

...So rad. You can check out some more WIP sketches over on the blog, and I'll make sure to let you all know when the book's out and available.

-C

See you on the other side

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:30:12 PDT

The final, belated result of a commission for my bud Zoë ( ), who wanted me to do a portrait of her special gentleman- the lovely Jacob Strick- in full Myst regalia.

I have next to no time to do commissions in between personal projects and work, but who am I to pass up the chance to draw fellow Myst/Riven/URU enthusiasts in their proper setting? Also I love these guys. <3 <3

-C

Steamcon IV Artists' Alley

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 20:35:06 PDT

Posting this as a deviation as well, because heck- she's cute. Details below if you're interested!

---

Steamcon® IV - October 26-28 - Seattle, WA

Yup, it's that time of year again- Steamcon® is going into its third year of Artists' Alley, a place for Steampunk craftspersons to promote their hand-crafted and Steampunk-relevant wares! We know that it can be difficult for smaller-scale artisans to afford or procure a full-blown vendor's table at conventions, so this is a chance for the less mass-produced artists to get their work out there.

Steamcon® will receive Artists’ Alley applications for review until June 1st, at which point we will begin evaluating & accepting exhibitors until the Artists’ Alley is full. All applicants will be juried, and consideration will be based on applicability of wares, date of receipt and diversity of merchandise available in the Artists’ Alley.

It's worth noting, for example, that we see a lot of jewelry artisans who work with assembled gears and clock parts. If you'd like to stand out from the crowd of other applicants, your best bet would be to make something that is uniquely yours.

Also note that participation in previous Artists' Alleys does not guarantee that you will be afforded a space this year. We receive a lot of applications at once, and we want to make sure that the Alley is juried for quality and relevance.

If you wish to participate, please read and fill out the application HERE, and send us photos of your wares by either posting them to the Steamcon Flickr group, or e-mailing them to us at artistsalley@steamcon.org.

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to shoot me a note at artists_alley@steamcon.org. We hope to see you in October!

Claire Hummel
Steamcon® IV Artists' Alley coordinator

Pokemon Battle Royale - Seaking

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:42:50 PDT

I finally finished up my piece for the upcoming Pokemon Battle Royale gallery show and, since a bunch of other artists have been sharing their contributions, I thought I'd post mine! SEAKING. That's right.

I guess I've always just had a soft spot for fish Pokemon and their dead, vacant stares- how do they even function in a fight? Especially if that fight is on land? These are the questions I think we need to be asking. Despite all that I tried to do my best to make Seaking look like a bit of a badass, but Misty's probably helping him out a bit in that regard.

Show info:
Pokémon Battle Royale
April 20 | 7-10pm
Light Grey Art Lab | Minneapolis, MN

Check it out if you can! They also have a kickstarter project going to help fund their remodel and any future shows, so head on over if you have a few bucks to spare.

-C
(Photoshop CS5)

Kinect Disneyland Adventures - Davy Jones

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:54:48 PST

More of my concept art for the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Kinect: Disneyland® Adventures. Though its a bit of a chore trying to find non-conflicting reference of Mr. Jones, he is still a hell of a lot of fun to paint.

-C
(Photoshop CS4, art & character © 2011 Disney, Microsoft Studios.)

Kinect Disneyland Adventures - Jack Sparrow

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:53:03 PST

Some of my concept art for the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Kinect: Disneyland® Adventures- seeing how the game was released this past November, I finally have a chance to post some of these. I may not have an Imagineering career in my near future, but it was nice to at least have the chance to work on a digital version of Disneyland.

The Pirates game was originally going to feature a lot more characters from the movie franchise, so there were a lot of concepts drawn up to that end. The final character in the game does bear a surprising resemblance to this design, but only from the neck down.

-C
(Photoshop CS4, art & character © 2011 Disney, Microsoft Studios.)

I really should quit.

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:08:41 PST

Multiculturalism for Steampunk is starting up a weekly art challenge, and it looks promising. SO EXCITED. I've had a bunch of ideas for non-Western steampunk outfits floating around in my head, and it's nice actually having a weekly deadline to motivate me to finish some of them.

This is pretty subtle in its steampunkery (read: no extranneous metal bits), but I was just trying to bring in a few western/Victorian elements to traditional Indian clothing- legomuttoned sleeves, the double breasted, collared choli, and adapting the churidar into buttoned spats.

...Also a sweet hat.

-C
(Photoshop CS5)

Editing to add some context in a response to toryot on Tumblr:
"No screeching, I promise! No such thing as being oversensitive with this sort of thing. I tried to avoid choosing anything specifically British (or any of the imagery specifically associated with colonization/”exploration chic”, things like khaki and piths), and tried to make it seem like the character had agency. I definitely don’t want to pretend I’m creating this in a void, that there aren’t historical and cultural contexts surrounding the politics of dress, but was trying to integrate elements that didn’t overwhelm the original culture.

Granted, I am of the opinion that Steampunk that erases past racial greivances (i.e. alternate history where white people are awesome and never did anything wrong and we’re all best friends) is kinda shitty and naive- that’s why I drew this as a character, and not as a costume design for something I would wear (as a white chick). If one were designing a Steampunk world, it would be unfair to assume that this cultural crossover didn’t happen and wouldn’t have existed, but I honestly apologize that the original post might make it seem like this was drawn solely for aesthetic purposes- and I’d like to address that and make it clear that I am definitely trying to keep context in mind, and am happy to be called out like this."

MOAR COMMENTARRYYYY
"I don’t want to imply that adding traditional elements of Victoriana immediately makes something steampunk, but rather that mixing the fashion styles present in India at the time is what makes it so. I admittedly tend to focus a lot more on punking of fashion, rather than adding overt sci-fi elements; a character choosing to appropriate and integrate motifs from the invading class, on their own terms, rather than the other way around.

So much of sci-fi is about addressing human issues, rather than the actual technology, and Steampunk has a tendency to ignore that entirely if not prompted. Yes, I definitely enjoy playing around with the design aspect of these sorts of pieces, but I’m also extremely keen on the historical and social context that informs it. Not saying I’m on par with Gavin Fernandes or Yinka Shonibare when it comes to fashion design with a message, but I am trying to keep it in mind and encourage the critiques from people who are better informed than I am."

That's where the West begins

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:08:56 PST

My final piece for the Advanced Lighting class I'm taking over at Schoolism! I kinda went nuts with this one and changed it quite a bit to suit my needs, but what the hell- when you want to paint the Southwest, you paint the goddamn Southwest.

-C
(Photoshop CS5)

You should totally check out Colin's final over here, as it is gorgeous: [link]

Girl, you can't conceal it

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:31:30 PST

Finally moving on to the unofficial Disney ladies with Megara! So fantastically simple to research, just put her in a simple doric chiton and spent most of my time researching fabric colours and patterns to see what I could get away with. It kinda looks like she killed Hercules and took his helmet? I'm okay with that.

-C

See the rest of the series here: [link]
Read the FAQ here: [link]
Buy prints here: [link]

Clooouuuds

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:08:58 PST

My most recent assignment for my Schoolism course with the lovely and inimitably talented Sam Nielson (). I'm actually happy enough with this to post it, so that's something! God I love painting clouds.

Sam does the initial loose linework for each assignment, so credit where credit is due for general mountain/cloud placement.
-C

(painted in Photoshop CS4)

Such a clever grown-up miss

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 21:57:30 PST

Watch the process video here: [link]

LAST ONE. Bwuh.

I adore Tangled for many reasons, but historical accuracy isn't one of them. It's actually the first Disney film that feels entirely set in its own fantasy world, with no real ties to any particular time period or setting- unless you count that ever-forgiving time period of "Ren Faire."

Since this is the last one in the series (so far as official princesses go), I thought I'd treat myself and just have fun with it. I drew up concepts for both the 16th century (the slashed sleeves) and 18th (Keane's initial inspiration), but in the interest of choosing a time period I hadn't touched yet I ended up going with the late Regency. There are a ton of gowns circa 1820 that have those inimitably princessy sleeves, and those palace guards aren't fooling anyone.

-Claire, who made a video for this but still needs to edit that nonsense together

See the rest of the series here: [link]
Read the FAQ here: [link]
Buy prints here: [link]

Phil Haleish

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 21:22:30 PDT

Just a quick doodle outside my comfort zone, pretending to be Phil Hale.

It's not my style

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:54:49 PDT

I've been crazy excited to do Tiana- she's not my favourite princess, but I started researching her dress in the very early stages of this project and got pretty hyped up about it.

Most of the dresses in Princess and the Frog do have some historical basis (lots of dropped waists and slinky chemises), so I thought it would be fun to tackle Tiana's magic-kiss-swamp-frog-something gown during the climax of the film. It's the one dress that's clearly meant to just be a standalone "princess" dress, but I liked the idea of a challenge and decided to drag it kicking and screaming back into the 20's.

I based the dress on Lanvin's robes de style, which were- unlike the flapper dresses most people associate with the Jazz Age- fitted in the bodice with a wide, panniered skirt. The robe de style was considered a relatively conservative dress choice so you probably wouldn't have seen a hem hiked up this high, but COME ON HOW OFTEN DO I GET TO DRAW THEIR LEGS. Not often enough, I'll tell you that.

-C

See the rest of the series here: [link]
Read the FAQ here: [link]
Buy prints here: [link]

Who always speaks her mind

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:29:39 PDT

Sooooo Mulan. It's not that I didn't want to do Mulan (she's fantastic so far as the Disney "princesses" go), but pinning down her time period stopped being fun and rapidly became a headache- you have the original legend taking place in the Wei Dynasty, the Huns as an actual threat during the Western Han Dynasty, the Forbidden City of the Ming Dynasty, the hanfu fashion setting it earlier AGHGHGhjffjhfghgjhkh

On that note, I'll be the first to admit that this piece isn't tying Mulan down to a particular period, rather putting her in plausible historical textiles and hanfu. When I was asking around for references most of the stuff sent my way were from Chinese period films or other modern recreations, so I just threw up my hands and decided to have fun with it.

It's based on Mulan's finale/epilogue costume at the end of the film; she never seemed at home in either the matchmaker costume or the armor, so this seemed like the best "Mulan has come into her own" middle ground.

-C

See the rest of the series here: [link]
Read the FAQ here: [link]
Buy prints here: [link]

Keep on the sunny side

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 22:44:16 PDT

Sometimes you just need to sit back after a long day and draw a Sunner from Riven.

Aaaaaaah.

-C
(Photoshop CS4)

Kim Pine: Has Freckles

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 00:12:16 PDT

Costume no. 1 from this year's San Diego Comic-Con! My bud Aidan set up a Scott Pilgrim group for this year, so I quickly hopped on board as Kim- I have a pretty natural scowl so it seemed like a good fit.

I went with the Chaos Theatre dress just because it's so absolutely absurd, and it's a nice stand-out costume that looks more distinct than her various jacket/skirt getups. It pained me to buy all the hideous trim and rick-rack to make this screen-accurate, but what the hell! It was worth it.

The one big change I made to the costume was morphing the on-screen laced shirt to an actual shirt + boned corset combination- a compromise to make the costume a little less frumpy and a little more wearable. Otherwise, everything's pretty spot on- I even layered a ton of trim to match her skirt hem, and I'm pretty proud of the result. No matter how ridiculous.

-C

Low on steam

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 20:16:04 PDT

A sendup of the outstanding Army of Darkness movie poster for my bud Andrew's birthday; his Steampunk chainsaw arm is a subtle wink and a nod to Ash's, so this is an easy (BUT OUTSTANDING) joke.

-C
(Photoshop CS4)

REMAKEREMODEL: Sekhmet

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:54:56 PDT

There are some awesome redesign contests over on Warren Ellis' forum every once in a while and, while I watched from afar, I've never had time to participate... But who am I to resist Egyptian mythology, COME ON.

The idea for this particular challenge was to do a modern day version of Sakhmet, as she might appear in comics. I took a bit of a high fashion route in interpreting her traditional garb (read: ZIPPERS EVERYWHERE ZIPPERS), and what the hell! I like it.

-C
(Photoshop CS5)

PRINTS AVAILABLE HERE: [link]

Project Rooftop: Spider-Man

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 11:33:55 PDT

My submission for Project: Rooftop's Spider-Man: Webhead 2.0 contest, which I rushed to finish last night only to have them extend the deadline this morning. Ha!

I'm sure I'd have done something different if I had more time, but I'm actually kinda keen on this. I think it was a bit of a boone to not be a huge Spider-Man fan, which means I had the general Spidey vibe in my head without getting caught up in the existing costume tropes you usually see on him.

-C
(Photoshop CS4)

Congrats to the Copperbottoms

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 23:07:50 PDT

A little engagement gift for my good friends Sheyne & Glen, also known as the wonderful Ellie & Coyote Copperbottom with the Jr. League W.A.T.C.H.. They are the best, and I couldn't be happier for them.

-C

League of S.T.E.A.M. DVD cover

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 18:17:03 PDT

My buds over at The League of ST.E.A.M. commissioned me to design the cover for their upcoming webseries DVD and, seeing how they finally got around to announcing it, I can finally post it up here! good times.

I'm not usually one for doing portraiture- especially portraits of people I know and care about and don't want to insult- but it was worth it for this. I just gave them ALL SEXY FACE ALL THE TIME and it worked out perfectly. Sideways glances are a speciality of mine.

The Adventures of The League of S.T.E.A.M. - volume 1 DVD is going to debut at this year's San-Diego Comic-Con, booth #607. You can also see the League this weekend at the Labyrinth of Jareth masquerade in LA, and you can help fund a second season of the webseries over at Kickstarter! Go check it out.

-C
(Photoshop CS5)

So familiar a gleam

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 22:36:35 PDT

First things first. For those of you who swear by the pink dress, yes, there's a version for you as well: [link]

...Aaaaand moving on. So Prince Philip does specifically and emphatically say "this is the 14th century!" at some point during the film, but Philip's an idiot (a handsome, handsome idiot) and I, never afraid to ignore source material, ignored him.

Oddly enough Philip's clothing is a better point of reference than Aurora's (since the hourglass, off-the-shoulder cut of her dress is straight out of the 1950's), and there are far more examples of his get-up from the 1460's onward than in the 14th century. I went with my gut and ended up with something around 1485- a little later than one might expect, but it's such a (beautifully) stylized film that all bets are off.

-C, who really wants to own all the dresses in the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries
(Photoshop CS4/5)

See the rest of the series here: [link]
Read the FAQ here: [link]
Buy prints here: [link]

Harley Reboot v. 1.0

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 18:40:23 PDT

The internet is rightfully up in arms about Harley's new costume for the DC reboot [link] , so I did my own pass at a modernized, "grittier" Harley. I've always felt that much of Harley's appeal comes from her quirkiness and overly cartoonish techniques, so reducing her to a viciously psychopathic, scantily-clad villain just seems like a cheap shot- especially since she's nigh unrecognizable.

I'll probably play around with this design later, but I'm rather fond of the idea of a punkier Harley in skinny jeans and a tank top... I don't really have a reason for the aviator cap and jacket beyond "I wear these things and like them."

-C
(Photoshop CS5)

Harley Quinn - fancy dress

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 04:48:19 PDT

Stumbled across a fantastic 1880 photo of a woman in jester-styled fancy dress [link] and could not for the life of me resist designing something similar for Harley.

-C

PRINTS AVAILABLE HERE: [link]

Fish custard

Tue, 31 May 2011 15:42:18 PDT

And now for something completely different. Eleven/Matt Smith is surprisingly easy to caricature.

Buy prints here: [link]

An awful lot of running

Tue, 31 May 2011 11:45:17 PDT

I've moved on to the fifth season, admittedly, but I started this last week in the THROES of Ten fandom so my art might be a little behind my actual progress. It's nigh impossible to resist drawing more of David Tennant and his spindly, bestrip'ed frame.

(A desktop-sized version for those interested: [link] )

Yes, I am drawing a lot of men in starfields with glowy blue things WOT OF IT
-C

(Photoshop CS4)

PRINTS AVAILABLE HERE: [link]

A fleeting glimpse

Thu, 19 May 2011 19:43:20 PDT

Maybe it makes me a bad Myst fan, but I've always had a simmering hatred for the Falling Man. I love the symbolism, I love the idea and the iconic nature of the imagery, but the actual silhouette looks so bedraggled and poorly-vectorized over the years that my artistic brain can't wrap itself around it.

I've played with the idea of doing a piece based on the Falling Man for years, but I think this is the only time I had a solid enough composition to finish it up. Atrus would, in actuality, be holding the book as he jumps into the fissure, but I was too in love with the idea of him reaching out for it in the darkness.

I really do need to do more finished Myst art,
-C

(Photoshop CS5)

PRINTS AVAILABLE HERE: [link]

In sixteen hundred seven

Fri, 13 May 2011 01:25:03 PDT

Oh, Pocahontas. Really not one of my favourite Disney films, but it posed an interesting challenge. Note that this is the Disney character, not the historical figure, so while I tried to make the outfit accurate to 17th century Powhatan clothing (yes, one-shouldered dresses and split skirts existed, YE GADS) she is, most definitely, not a 12-year-old. It's my happy middle ground when drawing a historical version of an inaccurate portrayal of a historical person. That's a mouthful.

My one big cheat on this was her necklace- the shell necklace should in theory be a deep purple (turquoise is a much more Southwestern commodity), but you lose so much of the Pocahontas visual identity without the splash of teal around her neck.

...And not the belabor the point, but she learns English by way of MAGIC? Come on, Disney, even Tarzan had the sense to do a heavy-handed language montage.
-C

(Photoshop CS4)

See the rest of the series here: [link]
Read the FAQ here: [link]
Buy prints here: [link]

…And check out the process video on YouTube: [link]

Nothing to it, really

Mon, 02 May 2011 18:01:10 PDT

I went with the mid 1860's for Cinderella's dress, the transitory period where the cage crinoline takes on a more elliptical shape and moves towards the back. Not that it accounts for Lady Tremaine's sweet 1890's getup, but it's also not unheard of to see it worn alongside Anastasia and Drizella's early bustle dresses. It's also worth noting that it was made by a fairy godmother, so it make sense that her tastes would be a little behind the times.

Not to mention background characters, who seem pretty firmly planted in the middle of the century: [link]

I couldn't settle on a visual motif for the details in this one- shoes, pumpkins, mice- so I just gave her some stripes and gothic lace to make up for it. OH ALSO I drew her losing her right shoe instead of her left and only recently realized it. Whoops.

-C
(Photoshop CS4)

See the rest of the series here: [link]
Read the FAQ here: [link]
Buy prints here: [link]

…And check out the process video on YouTube: [link]

GDG vol. 4 - Douglas Fir

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 21:57:05 PDT

(The New GDG book, Girls Drawin Girls Volume IV:
The Way Nature Made Her, is now available for preorder!
Head over to the GDG blog to find out more and place your order.)

My pin-up piece for the next Girls Drawing Girls ( [link] ) book- we've got a plant theme this time around so I, a fan of conifers, grabbed the Douglas Fir.

I absolutely adore the National Park Service- Bryce Canyon specifically- so this project rapidly became an excuse to draw park rangers and the southwest. The choice to do it in the style of the inimitable WPA posters was an easy one- they're still some of the most compelling advertisements for the parks.

-C
(Photoshop CS5)

PRINTS AVAILABLE HERE: [link]

Young at heart

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 03:36:36 PDT

A painting from a year or two ago when I was trying out some new techniques. I'm a big fan of Pre-Columbian mummies.

It's old-ish so there's a bunch of stuff I'd change this time around, but I'm still really happy with her gross face.

-C
(Photoshop CS4)

A sight lovely to see

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:52:05 PDT

Okay, these are getting more and more complicated, but this one was fun.

Let's be frank- Aladdin is hardly an exercise in historical accuracy. Combine that with Claire knowing veeeery little about historical* Middle Eastern clothing before starting on Jasmine, and you've got yourself a few days of research before digging into this thing.

It took some effort to track down some midriff-baring outfits but BY GEORGE I DID, thank you Persian fashion plates. I now know what sirwal are called (besides Hammer pants), and that Persian women wore some pretty sweet little jackets that I wish I owned.

OH ALSO I DREW A KITTY

-C
(Photoshop CS5)

See the rest of the series here: [link]
Read the FAQ here: [link]
Buy prints here: [link]

*seemed silly to say "pre-Islamic" when I ended up researching pre- and post-Islamic fashion.

I'm wishing

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:40:34 PDT

Honestly? I just wanted to draw those damn slashed sleeves. I want them SO BAD.

Unlike the aforementioned Little Mermaid, Snow White's time period is pretty easy to pinpoint in 16th century Germany. Not that the film is accurate, but the clues are there- I took a wide swath from about 1500-1530 to come up with something that still maintained the spirit of the original design.

-C
(CS4)

See the rest of the series here: [link]
Read the FAQ here: [link]
Buy prints here: [link]

There's Something About Her

Sat, 09 Apr 2011 23:27:30 PDT

Continuing my historically accurate Disney princesses! It makes me happy.

The Little Mermaid is hard to place from a time period standpoint- Grimsby's wearing a Georgian getup, Ariel's pink dress with the slashed sleeves subscribes to several eras from the Renaissance to the 1840's, Eric is... Eric.

I went with Ariel's wedding dress as a starting point since those gigantic leg-o-mutton sleeves (so embarrassingly popular in eighties wedding fashion) were a great starting point for an 1890's evening gown. It's also not unfeasible that Eric's cropped tailcoat could be from the same era, so I'm sticking with my choice. PLUS Ariel with Gibson girl hair? COME ON IT IS AWESOME.

I'm still not sure if I'd try to squeeze her pink dress in the same time period or if I'd just throw up my hands and draw it with a hoop skirt, but we'll see.

-C
(Photoshop CS5)

See the rest of the series here: [link]
Read the FAQ here: [link]
Buy prints here: [link]

FHP Mid-Century Modern

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 20:26:29 PDT

Yeeeah, I still like these.

These are the original environment drawings/lighting tests for the Mulholland house in Full House Poker. Obscene amounts of perspective be damned, it was a fun assignment and I still wish I lived there. Or at least had that saltwater fish tank.

You can make comparisons with the trailer/in-game screenshots over here: [link]

-C

art & Full House Poker © 2010 Microsoft Game Studios

Full House Poker card fish

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 20:22:09 PDT

You hardly really see this little card-suit-fish for a few seconds in-game (the opening shot into the Mulholland House hovers on the fishtank for a few seconds), but what the hell, the visual punnery was worth it.

You can make comparisons with the trailer/in-game screenshots over here: [link]

-C

art & Full House Poker © 2010 Microsoft Game Studios

Full House Poker prop sheet 03

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 20:18:41 PDT

That's right it is a NEVERENDING FLOW OF WORK ART. This is what happens when my games get released. Deal with it.

This sheet is for our figurehead environment, the Art Deco Vegas casino. Yeees, I know Vegas wasn't a boom town until after the construction of the Hoover Dam, but we called it that during production anyway. I had never really designed for art deco before, despite loving the style, so it was enlightening.

This environment probably wins for most little card suit references littered throughout the decor and props. There are a lot.

You can make comparisons with the trailer/in-game screenshots over here: [link]

-C

art & Full House Poker © 2010 Microsoft Game Studios

Full House Poker prop sheet 02

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 20:09:36 PDT

Props and a few environment details for the Chinese casino environment, plus various texture call-outs for the modelers.

-C

art & Full House Poker © 2010 Microsoft Game Studios

Full House Poker prop sheet

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 20:02:27 PDT

I got to do most of the production & environment design for Full House Poker on XBLA (save some of the initial design work on the Macau casino), and it has since been released! Thank god. Some of this stuff is over a year old, so please bear with me and my woefully out-of-date art.

This is one of the prop sheets for the Mullholland House- I'm a complete sucker for mid-century architecture and design, so this was without a doubt my favourite out of the three in-game environments. Eames and Howard Miller influences eeeeverywhere.

You can make comparisons with the trailer/in-game screenshots over here: [link]

-C

art & Full House Poker © 2010 Microsoft Game Studios

Kinectimals kinect guides

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 19:41:49 PDT

Early designs for the guide that would teach you the respective Kinect gestures to control the game- we eventually ended up with Bumble [link] , a sort of flying Lemur thing, but the designs were all over the place at first.

Art & Kinectimals © 2010 Microsoft Game Studios

Kinectimals tiger turnarounds

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 19:36:11 PDT